In a number of industrial processes, machine equipment, including transportation equipment, uses or dispenses liquid materials that may be toxic or otherwise harmful to the environment. Devices such as spill berms have been used to protect against the possibility of a spill from such devices.
A spill berm generally has a fluid impermeable floor and upstanding sidewall, and some means to maintain the sidewall in an upstanding configuration. One desirable characteristic of a spill berm is the ability of a vehicle to enter and exit the spill berm without damaging the berm sidewall. Many spill berms use foldable brackets to keep the sidewalls in an upstanding configuration, such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,880,720. These brackets allow the sidewall to be folded into a flat configuration to allow a vehicle to enter the spill berm without damaging the sidewall. Other spill berms use foam attached to the sidewall of a spill berm, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,479,946 and 8,016,151 (using both brackets and foam) to keep the sidewalls upstanding. Another type of spill berm uses an inflatable swimming pool type of construction, such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,391. The single inflatable sidewall is inflated using compressed air from a compressor or from a tank.
One desirable characteristic of a spill berm is the ability to accommodate vehicle traffic across the spill berm without damaging the spill berm sidewall. For berms that use brackets, this is accomplished using foldable brackets to collapse the sidewall; for sidewalls using compressible foam, since the foam is compressible, vehicles can roll over the sidewall, and the foam will rebound to its uncompressed state after the vehicle crosses the sidewall. Another desirable characteristic is that the spill berm is compact for transportation. The spill berm with brackets is a compact structure, but the spill berm using foam inserts is not as compact due to the foam inserts. Another desired characteristic of a spill berm is ease of assembly and use. While the spill berm using foam inserts is easily assembled and used, the berm using the brackets is more labor intensive to use, as each bracket must to be operated to raise or lower the sidewalls. Installation of the spill berm with an inflatable sidewall with a compressor or compressed air is also time consuming to fill.
What is needed is a spill berm or spill containment device and method of using minimum components that can be easily installed, dismantled, and transported from place to place, and that provides a reliable barrier to spills upon the surface of the ground.